Head motion for looms



1929. K. J. UNWIN ET AL 1,739,189

HEAD MOTION Fofi LOOMS Filed Aug. 25, 1927 Patented Dec. 10, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KENNETH J. UNWIN, OF SHREWSBURY, AND WALTER H. WAKEFIELD, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO CROMPTON & KNGWLES LOOM WORKS, OF WORCES- TEE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS HEAD MOTION FOR LOOMS Application filed August 25, 1927. Serial No. 215,482.

This invention relates to improvements in the commercial type of head motion known for many years as the Knowles head.

It is highly desirable that such a head motion shall be reversible, so that it maybe turned backward in case a pickout of defective weaving is necessary.

It is a general object of our invention to improve the construction of the Knowles head motion and particularly to improve the type of pattern chain, with the object of greatly increasing the available wearing surface of the chain and decreasing its length for a I given pattern.

A further object is to modify and improve the construction of the vibrator gears and of the contact elements of the vibrator levers. whereby improved results are attained.

Our invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings in which Fig. l is a sectional side elevation of our improved head motion;

Figs. 2 and 3 are detail sectional side elevations showing certain of the parts in different positions; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the pattern chain.

Referring to the drawings, we have shown a part of a loom frame on which harness levers or jacks 11 are pivoted at the point 12, said jacks being connectedby links 13 to vibrator gears 14.- pivoted at 15 on the usual vibrator levers 16. The levers 16 are pivoted at 17 on a frame member 18 mounted on the loom frame 10. V 7

Upper and lower cylinder gears 20 and 21 are mounted to rotate in bearings in the frame member 18 and are continuously rotated in opposite directions by bevel gears 22 and 23 on a drivingshaft 24. Presser bars'25 are tor gear 14. The presser bars 25 act to yiedingly hold the vibrator gears with the studs 29 at one extreme end or the other of the slots 28.

A pattern chain 30 is mounted on a pattern cylinder 31 which is advanced by gear G which meshes with pinion P fast with the lower cylinder gear 21. All of the parts thus far described are in general of the usual construction which is found in the commercial Knowles head. Our invention relates more particularly to certain details of construction which will now be described.

Our improved vibrator gears have the same number of teeth removed from diametrically opposite points on the gears, so that the gears are symmetrical about a diameter extended through the center of the blank spaces and also about a diameter perpendicular thereto. In the preferred form. we have omitted a single tooth only at each end of one diameter, as shown in the drawings. The centers of the cylinder gears 20 and and the vibrator gears 14 are preferably substantial y in a single straight line, instead of having the vibrator gears offset as has been the previous practice. The slots 28 are also of such length that the gears will always come to rest with the first tooth of each section of gear teeth substantially on the center line joining the axes of the cylinder gears as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The pattern chain for our improved head motion comprises the usual rods 34 (Fig. 4:) and links 35 and also comprises rolls 36, 3'? and 38 of three dilferent diameters, corresponding to high, intermediate and low positions of the vibrator levers and gears.

Contact plates 40 (Fig. 1) are provided on the vibrator levers 16 for engagement by the pattern rolls. These plates are substan 'tially extended longitudinally of the levers the cylinder 31 when the vibrator lever is supported by one of the large rolls 36, as shown in Fig. 3. hen thus designed the lever 16 will remain in fixed vertical posithe teeth 51 and 52.

tion during a considerable angular movement of the cylinder 31.

A locking arm 44 is pivoted at 45 (Fig. 1) on the frame 10 and has a laterally projecting portion 46 intermittently engaged by a cam projection 47 fast with the lower cylinder gear 21. A spring 48 holdssaid-arm yieldingly in a locking position, except when positively removed therefrom by engagement. with the cam portion 47. A locking plate 50 on the end of'the arm 44 engages teeth or projections 51 and 52 on the end of each vibrator lever 16. p

When the vibrator lever is in raised position as shown in Fig. vZ), the locking plate 50 is inserted below the lower tooth 52. When the lever is lowered as shown in 2, the plate 50 engages above the upper tooth 51, and when the lever is-in mid position, the plate 50 is reteived in an opening 53 between As thesurface 42 is not exac 'y concentric with the are of movement of the periphery of the intermediate roll 37, a slight angular movement of the vibrator lever will occuras the roll 37 advances, but

the clearance between the vibrator gear and duces no vibration in the levers 16.

The manner of meshing of the cylinder gears with the vibrator gears is clearly indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, and the symmetrical position. and design of the parts permit the head to be operated in a reverse direction if desired. It will be understood, however, that the successive angular movement-s of the vibrator gears must be in'opposite-directions, as the vibrator gears can make only slightly iore than half a revolution in either direction;

It is to be understood that there will never be two successive high or low' chain rolls but a that there may be a number of successive intermediate rolls; In order to prevent the vibrator lever fron'i having an undesirable vertical movement when successive intermediate rolls pass thereunder the curved surface 42 of the contact plate 40 is made sufficiently long so that the vibrator lever will'be-supported by the intermediate roll next to be in control before the preceding roll entirely passes from under't-he surface 42. By making saidsurfac'e'" 42' of the proper length the vibrator lever may'ibe held in substantially the'same verticalposition for a succession of" picks when intermediate rolls appear under contact plate 40. I

By the provision of, a pattern chain made up of high, low and intermediate rolls as indicated in Fig. 4, we obtain important advantages, particularly by reason of the fact that we are able to utilize substantially the entire width of each vibrator lever space for wearing surface 7 By the construction set forth herein it is unnecessary to employ any intervening links, thecontact surface 42 serving thispurpose and accomplishing the same result as the intervening links. a

By the omission of a single tooth only at opposite sides of the vibrator gears, we also obtain an amount of angular movement entirely satisfactory for movement of the jacks 11, and for securely holding the jacksin raised or lowered position beyond the dead centers of the vibrator gears.

Having thus described our invention and the advantages thereof, we do. not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what we do claim is: p k A V 1. A reversible head motion for looms, comprising vibrator levers, vibrator gears mounted thereon and each having an equal number of teeth omitted therefroi'n at op: posite sides thereof and having the resultant blank spaces diametrically spaced, and'a pattern chain cooperating with said vibrator levers and'having cylindrical pattern members of three different diameters correspond ing to the high, low and intermediate positions of said vibrator levers. V

A re\'*ersible head motion for looms, comprising vibrator levers, vibrator gears mounted thereon and each having an equal number of teeth omitted therefrom atopposite sides thereof and having the resultant. blank spaces diametr cally spaced, and a pattern chain cooperating with said vibrator levers and having cylindrical pattern members of three different diameters corresponding to the high, low and intermediate positions of said vibrator levers, and said levers having roll-engaging elements thereon, the

engaging faces of which are concentric with' the arc of movement of the outer point of the periphery of the largest cylindrical pattern member.

3. A reversible head motion for looms, comprising vibrator levers, vibrator gears mounted thereon and each having an equal number of teeth omitted therefrom at opposite sides thereof and having the resultant blank spaces diametrically spaced, and a pattern chain cooperating withsaid vibrator levers and havequal-to the full width of a vibrator lever 7 space.

prising vibrator levers, vibrator gears mounted thereon and each having an equal number of teeth omitted therefrom at opposite sides thereof and having the resultant blank spaces diametrically spaced, a pattern chain cooperating with said vibrator levers and having cylindrical pattern members of three difierent diameters corresponding to the high, low and intermediate positions of said vibrator levers, said vibrator levers having locking teeth at their outer ends, and a locking arm cooperating therewith, said teeth being spaced apart to permit limited vibration of said lever when in mid position.

5. In a reversible head motion for looms, a pair of toothed actuating members having regular movements, a vibrator lever extending between said members, a vibrator gear pivotally mounted on said vibrator lever, said gear having two groups of teeth se arated from each other by equal spaces, a pattern chain having high, low and intermediate elements, and means on said vibrator lever to be engaged directly by said elements, whereby a said elements are effective to give the vibrator gear three positions with respect to the actuating members.

6. In a reversible head motion for looms, a pair of spaced toothed regularly moving actuating members, a vibrator lever, a vibrator gear pivotally mounted on the lever and located between said members, said vibrator gear having two groups of teeth to cooperate with the actuating members, said groups being separated by equal spaces, a pattern chain having high. low and intermediate vibrator lever controllin elements, said vibrator lever having provision for direct engagement with said elements, whereby said elements are effective to move said gear into operative position with respect to either of said actuating members or to an intermediate position out of operative relation with respect to either of said actuating members.

7. In a reversible head motion for looms, a pair of spaced toothed regularly moving actuator members, a vibrator lever, a vibrator gear pivotally mounted on the lever and located between said actuator members, said gear being provided with two groups of teeth separated from each other by equal spaces along the periphery of the vibrator gear, a support on which the vibrator gear may rest in lowest position, a pattern chain having three high, low and intermediate vibrator lever controlling elements, and a Contact plate secured to the vibrator lever and positioned for direct engagement with the pattern chain elements, said plate having a surface to be engaged by the high pattern chain element and so formed as to hold the vibrator lever in fixed position as said high element moves under the contact plate, said support for the vibrator lever supporting the latter in fixed vertical position while the low pattern chain element is under the contact plate.

8. In a reversible head motion for looms, a pair of spaced toothed regularly moving actuator members, a vibrator lever, a vibrator gear pivotally mounted on the lever and lo cated between said actuator members, said gear being provided with two groups of teeth separatec from each other by equal spaces along the periphery of the vibrator gear, a support on which the vibrator lever may rest in lowest position,.a pattern chain having three high, low and intermediate vibrator lever controlling elements, and a contact plate secured to the vibrator lever and positioned for direct engagement with the pattern chain elements, said plate having a surface to be engagedby the high pattern chain element and so formed as'to hold the vibrator lever in fixed position as said high element moves under the contact plate, said support for the vibrator lever supporting the latter in fixed vertical position while the low pattern chain element is under the contact plate, and a lock for said vibrator lever to hold the latter in high or low position, said lock having pro vision -for a slight movement on the part of the vibrator lever when the latter is in mid position.

9. In a reversible head motion for looms, a pair of toothed actuating members having regular movements, a vibrator lever extending between said members, a vibrator gear pivotally mounted on said vibrator lever.

said gear having two groups of teeth separated trom each other by equal spaces, a pattern chain having links and high, low and intermediate elements, the chain moving the space of one link only each pick of the loom, and means defining a cam face on said vibratorlever to be engaged directly by said elements, whereby said elements are efi ective togive the vibrator gear three positions with respect to theactuating members.

10. In a reversible head motion for looms, a pair of spaced toothed regularly moving actuator members, a vibrator lever, a vibrator gear pivotally mounted on the lever and located betweensaid actuator members, said gear being provided with two groups of teeth separated from each other by equal spaces along the periphery of the vibrator gear, a pattern chain having high, low and intermediate vibrator lever controlling elements, and a contact plate secured to the vibrator lever and positioned for direct engagement with the ditl'erent elements of the pattern chain, said plate having a surface which is concentric with the axis around which the pattern chain moves when said surface is supported by a high pattern chain element, the size of the vibrator gear relatively to the distance between the actuator members being such that when the contact plate is supported by an intermediate chain element said vibrator gear will be held out of engagement with both actuator members irrespective of any motion on the part of the vibrator lever due to the fact that the s-ui; face of the Contact plate is not concentric with the axis of the patternchain when said contact plate surface is in engagement with an ii'i'termediate size roll.

11. In 'a reversing hea'd motion for 1001115,

:1 pair of toothed actuating members having regular movements, a vibrator lever extending between said members, a vibrator gear pivotally mo'unted on said vibrator lever, said gear having two groups of teeth spaced 5 from each other by equal spaces, a pattern chain 'coml'Jrisin'g a plurality of bars and each bar being provided with cylindrical pattern surfaces of three different sizes, namely, high, intermediate and low, the pattern chain being so constructed that no tvvo successive bars are provided ivith high or low elements.

12. In a reversing head motion for looms, a pair of toothed actuating members having regular movements, a vibrator lever extending between said members, a vibrator gear pivotally mounted on said vibrator lever, said gear having two grou s of teeth spaced from each other by equal spaces, a pattern chain comprising a plurality of successive bars, cylindrical pattern elements on each bar, -sai'd elements being of three different sizes, namely high, intermediate and low, the elements being arranged so that any bar having a high element is adjacent a bar havingeither an intermediate or a low element;

13. In a reversing head motion for looms, a pair of toothed actuating members having regular movements, a vibrator lever extending between said members, a vibrator gear pivotally mounted on said vibrator lever, said gear having two groups of teeth spaced from each other by equal spaces, a pattern chain comprising a plurality of successive bars, cylindrical pattern elements on each bar, said elements being of three diiierent sizes, namely high, intermediate and low, said elements being arranged so that the bars lying on either side of a bar having a high element Will be provided With either intermediate or low elements.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto aflixed our signatures.

KENNETH J. UNVJIN. e l/VALTER' H. WAKEFIELD. 

